SF Pizza, Bagel & Beer Festival Returns For Its Fourth Year
by Joe Bonadio
What do you get when you combine 35 pizzerias, nine bagel bakeries, a dozen or so craft breweries and just shy of 6,000 people? What has become one of the best annual events in San Francisco: The 4th Annual SF Pizza, Bagel & Beer Festival. It just took place on Saturday August 15th, and suffice to say it was the barnburner that everyone has come to expect.
Always looking to improve the experience, Tony and the team made some big changes this time out. They incorporated music this year, inviting three swing and rockabilly acts to perform on the main stage, including Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers, longtime mainstays of the San Francisco music scene. And in a feast of organizational witchcraft, they were able to secure park access, granting festival-goers about half of Washington Park for their revels. The live music combined with the extra elbow room changed the dynamic of the event, and it has been years since we’ve seen an event like this inside the park.
The festival gets just a little bit better every year, and while it’s still fresh in our minds we’ve got some highlights for you below.
The SF Pizza Bagel & Beer Fest has raised over $315,000 for local charities over the past four years. This year’s beneficiaries are the John Arena Foundation, the Salesian Boys & Girls Club, the San Francisco Italian Athletic Club Foundation, the Saints Peter & Paul School, the SF Italian Heritage Parade, the North Beach Business Association, the Friends of Washington Square Park and Next Village.
Huge thanks to all of our sponsors, particularly BiRite and DoorDash, without whom none of this would happen.
